Film Reviews by GI

Silverado is a pure cinematic myth western overloaded with genre tropes and clichés but being genuinely highly entertaining as a result. Writer and director Lawrence Kasdan utilises influences from a multitude of westerns and famous directors especially Anthony Mann (with arguably star Scott Glenn here in a James Stewart type role) and Sergio Leone with homage shots really evident in the final gunfight. Glenn plays Emmett, fresh out of jail for the manslaughter of a rich cattle baron and now on his way to meet his brother Jake (Kevin Costner). On his way he saves the life of Paden (Kevin Kline) and the three team up together. After some adventures along the way they head for Silverado where the corrupt Sheriff (Brian Dennehy), an old outlaw friend of Paden, is in cahoots with the son of the man Emmett killed. It all goes round and round all the while building up to a big showdown and involves Danny Glover, John Cleese, Jeff Goldblum, Rosanna Arquette and others in an action adventure western that is epic in scale, occasionally frustrating (Rosanna Arquette's part seems pointless and looks like it was heavily cut leaving her part of the story very unfulfilling) but full of shoot outs, villains, betrayal, revenge and everything that the classic westerns of the 50s and 60s delivered in spades. Yes it's flawed but if you love a good western then this is great fun and well worth checking out if you've not seen it.

A big epic length and flamboyant adaptation of the famous novel by Alexandre Dumas. A historical period adventure film that is overly long but visually rather impressive and very well acted. It's a tale of nineteenth century revenge as Edmond (Pierre Niney), a newly promoted sea captain is falsely accused of treason and imprisoned in a dungeon on a remote island. His accusers all have selfish reasons for betraying him but many years later having escaped and found wealth Edmond returns as the Count of Monte-Cristo to find justice and reek a convoluted vengeance on those who have wronged him. A great story and here wonderfully presented. It deviates from the source novel occasionally but overall this is an entertaining film that is well worth checking out

This is an entertaining horror B movie that riffs on the zombie genre, has some quite good visual set pieces not least the climax and rattles along at a great pace. Its downside is there's little new on offer here as the narrative follows a well worn path. It's set in a small farming town in the USA where the local sheriff (Timothy Olyphant) keeps the peace and his wife (Radha Mitchell) is the local doctor. When a military plane carrying a biological weapon crashes nearby the locals become infected turning them into homicidal maniacs. When the military turn up to contain things which basically involves killing everyone the sheriff and the doc make a bid for freedom. There's plenty of gory killings, and some tense set pieces but as I said it's all been done before. Good fun though.

This is a smartly scripted conspiracy thriller with a neat Hitchcock style set piece and a plot twist I did not see coming! It has the look and feel of a 70s thriller. Riz Ahmed plays Ash, a recovering alcoholic, who specialises in an illegal and covert service where he arranges for clients who have stolen documents that incriminate their employers in some corrupt way or other but who now fear the repercussions and want to return them without fear of reprisals. He moves in the shadows communicating through a messaging relay service and avoiding personal contact. He is hired by Sarah (Lily James), a scientist who has stolen a file from her company that shows they were producing a dangerous foodstuff but who now wants to stop the harassment she is facing. With strict rules to protect himself Ash finds himself up against a ruthless agent (Sam Worthington) and gradually developing feelings for Sarah he lets his guard down with dire consequences. There's a great scene at a music concert that builds tension and the scenes in the city are well orchestrated as a cat and mouse scenario is played out. A good, solid and entertaining thriller well worth checking out.

One of the defining films of the 1990s, adapted from a unique and compelling novel, it weaves together crime thriller and gothic horror conventions to create a really distinctive variation on the cinematic portrayal of serial killers. The narrative entwines a whodunnit and a police procedural story with a modernising use of sexual politics in the heroine and her relationship with the men around her. A surprise winner of the Best Picture Oscar it remains a clever and highly entertaining film. Jodie Foster plays FBI trainee Clarice Starling who is sent to interview the incarcerated psychopath, Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) ostensibly as part of some research but really because it is suspected he has information on the identity of a serial killer known as Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine) who has been murdering and skinning his women victims for reasons unknown. Starling manages against the odds to create a rapport with Lecter which helps her begin to unravel the Buffalo Bill case. Tightly edited this story is propelled along at a great pace and the characters are all brilliantly drawn. It is a disturbing story but the actual shocking events are mostly committed off screen although the after effects are shown. This follows a lot of classic story telling tropes but in an exciting and compelling way, for instance the hunt through the labyrinth of the killer's basement in the films climax that utilises the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. This is still a highly impressive film and certainly worth a revisit if its been awhile since you've watched it and if it's passed you by then I strongly recommend it.

This is what a great action thriller should be like, audacious, gritty, adult themed, occasionally shocking but compelling and thought provoking. Director Denis Villeneuve seems to turn everything he touches into gold and Sicario is simply flawless. Emily Blunt, in an absolutely mesmerising performance, is Kate Macer an experienced FBI agent. After the FBI raid a Mexican cartel owned house in Arizona they find decomposing bodies hidden in false walls. The discovery is so shocking that an operation to find who is responsible is quickly commenced led by Graver (Josh Brolin) and Kate volunteers to be a part of it. But who Graver works for is unclear and soon Kate becomes suspicious about what exactly the mission's objectives are especially the role to be played the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), one of the team. At times this is realistically violent and bloody and at others it's carefully restrained but the story keeps you hooked throughout and there's an ominous, threatening soundtrack to keep the level of suspense turned full on at all times. A fantastic film with real energy and it's often edge of your seat stuff especially the use of night vision scenes. I highly recommend this it's a film you should make sure you check out (there was a sequel in 2018 which some like but I found it disappointing in comparison to this wonderful film).

A dark, atmospheric conspiracy thriller with an intricate plot and plenty of clues if you watch carefully as the story twists and turns. It's only real flaw is the main twist is predictable from an early point but that aside it's a very involved film that draws you in even when you've seen it before. Leonardo DiCaprio, on top form, plays a US Marshall, Teddy, who arrives with his partner (Mark Ruffalo) at Shutter Island, the site of a maximum security hospital for the criminally insane run by Dr Cawley (Ben Kingsley). He's investigating the escape of a female patient who has mysteriously escaped from her locked cell. Teddy soon suspects something is being kept secret at the hospital and when a storm traps him there he tries to unravel what is going on. DiCaprio excels here as the man with PTSD from his service in the war and his experience in the liberation of a Nazi death camp and also suffering grief from the death of his wife (Michelle Williams) in a fire. He's haunted by dreams that fill the narrative making it part of the overall mystery of what is occurring at the hospital. The setting of the East Coast in 1954 gives the film a visual style and period feel similar to prison dramas such as The Green Mile (1999) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994) as well as a haunting score that delivers a horror film vibe. Director Martin Scorsese builds the tension gradually and skilfully utilising various visual clues and symbolism that builds the plot to it's arguably controversial final scene which is open to different interpretations. A clever, entertaining and tense film with a great support cast including Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Max Von Sydow. Definitely worth watching again if you have only had one viewing.

John Wayne's last film and a fitting epilogue to his screen career. In a way it's tragedy and a poignant tale of the end of a misunderstood life. Wayne plays J.B. Books, an ailing man, who has lived a full life as a former lawman and gunfighter, but now has a reputation as a killer due to exaggerated stories about his past. He arrives in Carson City, Nebraska in the winter of 1901 to see an old doctor friend (James Stewart) and to seek his medical advice. Diagnosed with terminal cancer Books decides to have his final days in the city at the lodging house of Mrs Rogers (Lauren Bacall) where he befriends her impressionable son, Gillom (Ron Howard). But his presence in the city and news of his impending death attracts a host of people intent on benefiting from his last days including some who want the glory of killing him. But Books decides his death will be how he wants it to be. The film opens with scenes from some of Wayne's past westerns and although this was never intended to be his last film it has become almost a tribute to him. The centre of the story is his relationship with Mrs Rogers where he finds solace in his past. There is violence, indeed the climax is a gunfight but mostly this a melancholy story of a misjudged man who has lived on the borders of civilisation which has now caught up with him. It's a fine performance from Wayne, a moving and interesting film and has some great support actors such as Richard Boone, Bill McKinney and Hugh O'Brien and Harry Morgan. An impressive film from director Don Siegal and one where Wayne deserved more recognition as he is quite magnificent here.

A violent action film and star vehicle for Mark Wahlberg. It has a totally implausible plot that does stretch credibility throughout but that aside it's an entertaining conspiracy thriller with plenty of action. Wahlberg plays Bob Lee Swagger, a former expert sniper, now living in quiet seclusion but recruited by dodgy Colonel Johnson (Danny Glover) to advise on a possible assassination attempt on the President. Swagger finds himself set up and hunted as a killer but soon shows he's no pushover as he goes all Ethan Hunt with a remarkable skill set allowing him to avoid his pursuers and kill a lot of them. Kate Mara plays a love interest who helps the hero along with a disaffected FBI agent played by Michael Peña. Ned Beatty also cameos as a corrupt politician. It's all good fun, thoroughly daft but watchable.

Now hailed as one of the greatest horror films ever made it's not too surprising that back in 1980 audiences just didn't get this film. It's almost incomparable to any other film either before or since and was misunderstood and perhaps a little too deep for general audiences of the time. In essence it's a ghost/haunted house story with a study of madness thrown in for good measure and as a film it is highly impactive and very clever. The suspense of the film is almost tangible and it's quite frightening in parts. Jack Nicholson, in one of his most famous roles, plays Jack Torrance, a former teacher and budding writer. He takes the job of caretaker of the massive, remote and luxurious Overlook Hotel when it closes for the winter. Jack, his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and their young son Danny (Danny Lloyd) are effectively isolated for the duration of the winter while Jack attempts to use the solitude to write. But influenced by the Hotel's dark past Jack slowly becomes homicidal and insane putting his family in danger. Danny, unbeknown to his parents, has a unique gift of being able to sense bad things and he sees the Hotel for what it is and begins to see the strange presence that haunts it. This film has been pawed over by so many fans with ever more bizarre theories about it but it should be seen for the unique experience that it provides, a very dark story about deep emotions being forced to the surface of an unstable man affected by forces unseen by normal people. The actors are fantastic and Nicholson's extreme performance often overshadows Duvall's, which is some of the finest acting you'll ever get to see. There are really two versions of the film, the longer and original one that was released in the US and then a shorter one released for the European and UK markets. Director Stanley Kubrick put together both and acknowledged both but I would recommend the longer version as it has scenes that enhance the backstory especially with the central and important character of Danny. This is a post modern horror film and a masterpiece of cinema. Definitely a film to make sure you see.

A rather cluttered and confusingly structured police procedural allegedly inspired by a true case. The prominence of Mel Gibson on the film's poster etc is clearly to influence audiences into thinking he's a lead player here but he's actually in a minor role although is given a backstory that seems like filler. The actual story is fairly routine. A number of bodies are discovered buried in to the New Mexico desert all of which turn out to be missing young women many of whom were sex workers. The local police investigation leads to the uncovering of police corruption but fails to nail the killer of the women. Gibson is an FBI profiler brought in to assist. Most of the characters are standard American cop ones drawn from the usual character traits you find in films of this type. Curtis '50 Cent' Jackson is the local police chief who basically has little to do here with the main focus of the narrative being on the lead detective (Brian Van Holt) who has a personal reason for pursuing the case albeit he has tunnel vision over who he suspects. Sadly the story behind this film no doubt is an interesting one but this film doesn't service that story very well and I guarantee you'll be disappointed by the end result if you manage to keep up with the confusion of the editing.

A well constructed historical drama with some bloody battle scenes and a story that has been told in multiple ways, multiple times before although here there's a majesty to it and a considered lead performance from Guy Pearce. He plays Munro, a former British soldier and now lay preacher, who travels to New Zealand in 1830 to be the priest for a white settlement. With an early introduction to the violent rivalries between the local Maori tribes he also soon sees the bigotry and colonial hatreds of the whites towards their hosts but who are willing to commit murder over the slightest offence. Setting off to try and bring some peace to local warring chiefs he soon finds himself questioning his past, his loyalties and getting involved in the fight. It's a watchable film and is probably a bit of a passion piece for director Lee Tamahori who has concentrated on authenticity and thematically attacking the colonial history of the British who bought disease, guns and worse still Christianity with all it's bloody morality!! It's worth checking out.

This is the second film in what has become known as John Ford's cavalry trilogy along with Fort Apache (1948) and Rio Grande (1950). This is the best of these three films and the only one shot in technicolour and it's one of Ford's finest motion pictures. John Wayne, playing a much older man, is Captain Nathan Brittles. He commands a troop of cavalry in a remote fort and he's less than a week before retirement. When renegade Indians rise up he is ordered on his last patrol to take his commanding officer's womenfolk to a nearby stagecoach station for safety. But he fails to achieve his mission due to being attacked. On his final day as a soldier he disobeys orders and personally takes command of some of his men and foils the Indians plans. It might surprise those familiar with Ford's films just how little actual action there is in this film, despite this it is a film filled with danger and adventure but has that lyrical and poetical quality that Ford so easily brought to his films. Wayne is exceptional and this is one of his finest roles and he's supported by many familiar actors from other Ford westerns including Victor McLaglen, John Agar, Joanne Dru and Harry Carey Jr. There's the usual mix of Irish humour, including a hilarious bar fight and quite a bit of flag waving but the propaganda aspects can be forgiven because this is a major work and a classic Hollywood film. A wonderful film, you'll be just stunned by the magnificent scene shot in the thunderstorm, it's the work of a real artist. A masterpiece.

Guy Ritchie's take on the famous sleuth is great fun, a sort of a cross between a 70s Hammer film and a modern action adventure. Robert Downey Jr in the title role carries it all off with aplomb in an amusing take on the character and with Jude Law as Dr Watson they make for a great double act. Holmes and Watson have captured the evil Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) for a series of murders (the film hints that Blackwood is Jack the Ripper) and he is executed. But then mysteriously he rises from the grave and is intent on taking over the country. Holmes must stop him with the help of his old flame Irene (Rachel McAdams) who is secretly in the employ of Professor Moriarty (a voiceover cameo from Jared Harris). It's a great, fun filled story involving devil worship and political intrigue, with plenty of comic book fighting and Ritchie's typical use of slow motion. Great support cast including Eddie Marsan as the inept Inspector Lestrade and the delectable Kelly Reilly as Watson's fiancée. For Sherlock Holmes fans there's lots of references to the original stories and novels to spot but overall this is an action packed family film that you can enjoy time and time again. Definitely one to check out if you've yet to see it.

A worthy sequel and another fun filled action adventure film with the great duo of Robert Downey Jr as Holmes and Jude Law as Dr Watson. It was inevitable there would be a sequel because the first film was such a success. Here Holmes is pitted against his most famous adversary Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) who is attempting to push Europe into war so he can benefit from the armaments industry, a theme that has resonance in the present day. Director Guy Ritchie fills the film with some exciting and stunning action set pieces such as the slow motion chase through a forest with artillery fire exploding through the trees. The plot is clever and intricate with a consistent chess theme running throughout. There's a great cast to including Noomi Rapace, Paul Anderson and Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes and Rachel McAdams pops up reprising her role from the first film. An action packed, fun filled slice of entertainment and if you loved the first one you'll love this one too. What we need now is number 3.